Olivier Messiaen

Le Banquet Celeste

The Organ works of Olivier Messiaen form a significant part of his output, providing a hugely versatile tool for the composer's experiments into the extension and abandonment of traditional diatonic harmony that would make him one of the most influential French composers of the 20th century.

This piece, from the earlier years of Messiaen's career, displays a tonal structure reminiscent of Mahler, but pushes its boundaries beyond these confines in a way that, along with Schoenberg, would eventually inspire Pierre Boulez and the post-war avant garde. The slow pace and rich, warm texture of Messiaen's Le Banquet Celeste creates an atmospheric and stirring musical experience.